680 8th Ave. SW Valley City, ND 58072

Ph. 701-845-0340 Fax: 701-845-0347

www.epworthvalleycity.com

Dayne Zachrison Pastor

pastor@epworthvalleycity.com Office: 701-845-0340 Home: 701-845-0156 Cell: 701-840-7294

Anita Tulp Office Administrator

Newsletter Editor office@epworthvalleycity.com

Office: 701-845-0340 Home: 701-646-2123 Cell: 701-320-9058

Dawn Thomsen Director of Christian Education

christianed@epworthvalleycity.com Office: 701-845-0340 Cell: 701-490-0840

Rydel Samuelson Director of Youth Ministries

youth@epworthvalleycity.com Office: 701-845-0340 Cell: 701-426-2790

VirLyn Hoff Congregational Care Coordinator

virlynhoff@yahoo.com Office: 701-845-0340 Cell: 701-840-9285

October 2020

Epworth Events Living, Sharing, and Growing in God’s Love

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#LoveYourNeighborVC He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love

kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:8

Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” –Matthew 22:37-39

This week, several staff and members of Epworth have been attending a great conference. The Leadership Institute at Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area is a great opportunity to learn and grow from the largest United Methodist Church and its leadership. This year, it was an online event, meaning we were able to attend without needing to pay for travel or hotel rooms!

The most powerful keynote speaker was Bishop Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. You might remember his preaching at the Royal Wedding a few years ago, and the theme of that message: The Power of Love.

Bishop Curry served in multiple parishes before election to Bishop and then Presiding Bishop. His ministry was challenged at several places simply by the color of his skin. Rather than discouraging him from certain churches, this experience helped him to understand the power of the love of God to answer hatred, anger and fear.

We live in a challenging time. That statement shouldn’t be news to anyone. In this time of fear, upset, and anxiety, one of the greatest assets of our nation has become a source of division and separation. When our Founding Fathers set out to create a nation that determined its own destiny and best represented the views of the people, they did make some mistakes, but their goal was powerful. More than 200 years later, we continue to strive toward “a more perfect union.” Over time, we have created two major parties that have differing views on how to solve the problems we face as a nation.

The problem is that each of these collections of people have become so angry and dismissive of the other group of Americans that we have forgotten that the “other” is our neighbor. God gives clear instruction on how to treat our neighbors.

When the prophet Micah was speaking and writing to the people of God, they had lost their ability to govern themselves. They were struggling with what it meant to be a faithful people if they were not able to choose their own leaders or to determine the direction their nation would take. Some wanted to enter into alliances, some wanted to create new governments, others wanted to just be left alone. —Continued on pg. 8

Open 6 am—6 pm, Mon.—Fri.

8 am—4 pm, Sat. Ph. 840-8713

Charge Conference Sunday, October 4,

4:00 pm At Epworth UMC

All members are encouraged to attend and vote!

Friday, October 30th Drive Thru Event

5:00-7:00 pm

The next funeral will be served by the September

serving group.

Have Questions? Please call: VirLyn Hoff (845-1721)

Serving for October CHAIR—Dorothy & Fred Schroeder

Richard Hanson Tami & Dave Hanson Shirley & Glenn Haugen Holly & Dale Neuberger Dottie & Bob Werkhoven Cindy & Kevin Zahn Jan & George McCarthy Scott & Sheila Cummings

3rd Bruce Ranum 4th Ellie Kvilvang Jan McCarthy 5th Lily Nielson 6th Kevin Rohrbeck 7th Lisa Baasch Tom Stoen 8th Randi Watterson Marvin Bloom Shanara Lint 9th Judy Elston 10th Mark Nielson Don Malec 11th Jon Owen 12th Skye Nielson Lindsey Noeske Benjamin Kruta 13th Grant Young 14th Brenda Lint 16th Alyssa Thomsen Caysen Torbenson 17th Laura Borchert 19th Nate Kvilvang 20th Evan Mielke 22nd Anthony Cuypers 23rd Helen Noeske 25th Blayze Torbenson 26th Kim Owen 31st Floyce Cummings

2nd Laura & Derek Bruns 12th Jerry & B.J. Edwardson Jacob & Kiersten Olauson 13th Jackie Owen/Rick Clark 18th Ryan & Amy Egeberg Riley & Gabby Wavra 19th Andrew & Kaylee Glaser 20th Dawn & Brent Thomsen

OCTOBER 2020

We Love Washington School

Thank you for your response to our collection of hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes for our neighbors at Washington School. You donated 16 bottles of hand sanitizer, including 2 refill bottles, a spray bottle of hospital-grade disinfectant, and 5 packages of wipes. The staff of Washington Elementary was surprised and thankful for your generous gifts. We will continue to seek out opportunities to support our neighbors.

Nominations Needed After 5 years of service, Avis Richter is retiring as our Church Treasurer. The Servant Leadership Team is seeking nominations for Church Treasurer. Contact Pastor Dayne or any member of the Servant Leadership Team to volunteer or suggest a nomination for this important position. After a decade of service, Wayne Winkler has also asked to be relieved of the position of Building Fund Treasurer. We are also seeking a nomination for this position, that is intentionally different from our Church Treasurer. Please contact Pastor Dayne or any member of the Servant Leadership Team to volunteer or nominate a new Building Fund Treasurer. Thank you to both of these dedicated volunteers who have tackled these tasks with integrity and faithfulness.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

10am Pastor’s

Bible Study

2 3

4 9:30am Sunday School

9:45am Flu Clinic

10:30am Worship In person or Online

4pm Charge Conf.

5

6

9am BC

Ministerial

12pm Rotary

7

11am Theology

Lunch

7pm Youth /

Confirmation

8

10am Pastor’s

Bible Study

7pm Cub Scouts

9 10

10am-4pm Dakotas UM Annual Conference

11 9:30am Sunday School in person and online

10:30am Worship In person or Online

12

13

9:30am Sermon

Text Study

4-5:30pm Farm-

ers to Families

Food Distribution

14

11am Theology

Lunch

7pm Youth

15

Circles Meet

10am Pastor’s

Bible Study

7pm Cub Scouts

16 17

18 8am FLC Pan-cake Brunch 9:30am Sunday School in person and online

10:30am Worship In person or Online

19

20

9:30am Sermon

Text Study

12pm Rotary

21

11am Theology Lunch

7pm Youth

7pm Low Carb Living

22

10am Pastor’s

Bible Study

7pm Cub Scouts

23

No School

24

25 9:30am Sunday School in person and online

10:30am Worship In person or Online

12:15pm Meals on Wheels Delivery

26

7:30pm Monday

Night Study

27

9:30am Sermon

Text Study

5:30pm Servant

Leadership Team

7pm Advent Plan-

ning Team

28

11am Theology Lunch 7pm Youth

29

10am Pastor’s

Bible Study

7pm Cub Scouts

30

5-7pm Drive Thru Trick or Treat @ Epworth

31

Happy Halloween!

Evening Prayer with Pastor Dayne via

Facebook Live each evening at 7:00 pm

Flu Shot Clinics—There will be a Flu Shot Clinic on Sun., Oct. 4, 9:45 am at Epworth UMC. Please call the church office @ 845-0340 to sign up.

FLC Men’s Pancake Brunch Fundraiser

Sunday, Oct. 18

8-11 am

Free Will Donation!

Curbside pickup only

10 Epworth Events October 2020

August 30—September 29, 2020 Daily Expenses/Maintenance $16,128.60 Building/Trustees 235.00 Glory of God’s House Campaign 2,075.00 Christian Education 5.00 Matthew 25 55.00 Memorials 500.00 Parking Lot 110.00 Sound & Projection 1,200.00 Upper Room 7.00

Sunday Online Worship Attendance (views) August 30—55 In person—17 September—52 In person—9 September 13—76 In person—39 September 20—23 In person—19 September 27— In person—16

Sunday School (online) September 13—22 September 20—7 September 27—10

Thanks to a later check, we did receive enough gifts to make our payment due 9/15/2020 of $849.31. To prevent that happening again, I held back enough for the October payment. That also means less principal was paid. Both accounts accrue about the same amount of interest each month at their current balances, so something close to $1,900 is needed each month just to stay ahead of interest, and more is needed to pay down the balances. THANKS to all who have contributed. All of your gifts are greatly appreciated. —Wayne Winkler

October 2020 Epworth Events 3

Ways to continue your regular giving—Gifts may be dropped off at or mailed to the church, checks addressed to Epworth UMC may be

deposited in the drive through deposit box at First Community Credit Union, or you may use the online giving option on our webpage. Go to www.epworthvalleycity.com, choose the giving tab, click on the “Donate” button and follow instructions. Our online giving is managed by PayPal, yet you do not need to have a PayPal account to support our ministries. You may also choose to set up an Electronic Funds Transfer by downloading the EFT Form on the Giving page. Fill it out, sign, and return to the church office.

Mortgage Balance 1 9/20/2020 $ 198,101.89 Pymt Due 11/15/21 $1,983.46 Mortgage Balance 2 9/20/2020 $ 200,000.00 Pymt Due 10/15/20 $ 821.92 Last Principal Payment 9/11/2020 $ 2,929.09 Principal paid YTD in 2020 $ 25,856.06 Interest paid YTD in 2020 $ 11,043.25

Total paid YTD in 2020 $ 36,899.31

Principal paid in last 30 days $ 318.14 Interest paid in last 30 days $ 2,181.17 Funds available for payment $ 891.91

New Opportunities to Connect Amplify Media Children’s programming, Bible Studies, family events and more are available through Amplify Media. We have a strong ministry of adult studies, and prefer to use the studies that come with other voices, through videos and other media. Amplify Media comes to us from Cokesbury, our United Methodist Publishing House, and includes almost all of the studies we have participated in over the last decade. It will give opportunity for families to watch Sunday School videos together, participants to catch up on missed Bible Study videos, or to simply watch some of our favorite teachers and leaders share important messages about faith. You will be receiving an invitation to access Amplify Media through our congregational subscription. We are providing this ministry through our Christian Education program, funding this subscription rather than purchasing DVDs for Sunday School, VBS and Adult studies. This change not only saves us money, it makes even more studies available to all of us. Text in Church Watch for an invitation from Pastor Dayne to register your cell phone with our new connection point, Text in Church. In this modern world, there are so many ways to connect with one another. At times it is confusing, and we can struggle to connect with one another. One fact that is standing out, however, is that for people under 30, the cell phone is the primary point of contact with friends, businesses, and the entire world. We will be using this new texting ministry to connect with visitors, especially virtual visitors, to announce special events in the congregation, to answer our “Connection Opportunity” questions on Sunday mornings, and for new ministries as they come into being. Most cellphone plans come with unlimited texting, but if yours does not, please let us know, or choose not to sign up for this new outreach ministry.

Charge Conference Charge Conference, the annual meeting of our congregation, will happen on Sunday, October 4 at 4 pm. This is our opportunity to meet with our new District Superintendent, Rev. Joel Winkler, to celebrate our ongoing ministries, and to elect the new leadership for our congregation.

We will also be taking action on the motion made by our Servant Leadership Team: “The Epworth Church Conference gives authority to the Servant Leadership Team—acting as the Trustees according to the 2016 Discipline—permission to purchase a new parsonage using the proceeds of the sale of our current parsonage plus no more than $120,000.” Our Parsonage Task Force did diligent work on the question of upgrading the foundation and replacing the kitchen and attached garage on our current parsonage, and recommended purchasing a different home rather than undertaking that significant of a remodeling. We anticipate a number of gifts to help offset the additional costs, and will use a loan from First Community Credit Union to pay off the remainder over time.

October 2020 Epworth Events 9 4 Epworth Events October 2020

Christian Education, Dawn Thomsen, Director

Wow! We’ve had a good start to our year. I never imagined in all of my years of Sunday School participation (as a child, leader, & now director) that we would be having Sunday School via the internet! Here we are though, enjoying connecting to our kiddos any way that we can.

Thank you so much for your answers to our phone questionnaire. We attempted to contact every family of the church, and we appreciate your honesty in your answers. Because we had families on both sides of the questions about in-person events, we are going to invite families to again be present at our building for Sunday School.

On Sunday, Oct. 11th, we will start doing a combination of in-person & online Sunday School. We will still start at 9:30am with our video & music and then work with the activities in our books. We won’t be back to taking a full hour for Sunday School, maybe only 30-45 minutes. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall or the Gathering Space so there will be plenty of room to spread out & continue to follow VCPS, CDC, & City County Health Guidelines.

Pastor Dayne & I will be delivering & recording our 3rd grade Bible presentations to be shared with the Congregation on October 4th. Help us make sure that we don’t miss any 3rd graders.

Confirmation of our 9th graders will also take place on Sunday, Oct. 11th. This has been such a fun group to work that we had to keep them a little longer!

Drive Thru Trick or Treat Event!

We are excitedly gearing up for a new Twist on our Annual Indoor Trick or Treat Event on Halloween. We are coordinating with VC Parks & Rec to do a Drive Thru event on Friday, 10/30. We need about 5 families for different stations. We anticipate about 200+ cars coming through so will need candy/prize donations to fill about 500 bags to give away. Let the church office know if you’d like to come help fill the bags sometime the week before Halloween. Watch for more details on this as we get closer & share this exciting opportunity with your friends!

VBS Look Ahead!

Be ready for a fun VBS 2021 – Knights of the North Castle! We should be really familiar with our songs by June 2021.

Dawn christianed@epworthvalleycity.com

In Memory of Dave Vareberg —Michelle Grebel, to Matthew 25 —Don & Bev Enger, to Building Fund

Ernest Schafer—July 1, 1932-August 23, 2020 Sincere sympathy to Scott & Sheila Cummings and family on the passing of Sheila’s father Ernest. Ernest loved his family deeply and will be greatly missed.

Arlene Schlecht—July 10, 1934-September 18, 2020 Sincere Sympathy to Dave & Tami Hanson and family on the passing of Tami’s mother Arlene. Arlene was an active member or Emmanuel UMC and will be missed by many.

Kodi Armin Owen was baptized during the worship service on Sunday, September 13th. Kodi is the daughter of Steven & Danielle Owen and the granddaughter of Joel & Kim Owen. Kodi’s sponsors are Steve & Katlyn Horst, and Karissa Torborg. Please keep Kodi in your prayers as she grows in faith.

We provide our box tops to Washington Elementary as part of our commitment to our neighbor.

New Banners Check out our new banners in the Dining Hall and Gathering Space from Memorial Funds given by Hulda Cink’s family. Their generosity also provided enough funds to purchase a set of banners that will welcome and comfort our guests during a funeral.

All Saints’ Sunday All Saints’ Day is an ancient day of remembrance in the Church. It occurs on the first of November, and is a celebration of the lives of those who have shaped the church. Each year on the First Sunday of November we honor and remember those of our congregation and community who have died, as well as dedicate the memorial gifts given in their honor.

This year, we honor these members who have died:

Leslie “Les ” Breitbach Lorraine Ludwig Rachel Sauer Frances Snyder Katie Wright Hjordis “Jo” Campbell Ty Peterson Richard “Dick” Tulp Noel Pritchert Mavis Myers Torrey Berge Dave Vareberg

We also remember the lives of members of our larger community:

Harold Fick Dannie Sheets Brian Washburn

October 2020 Epworth Events 5 8 Epworth Events October 2020

Attendance September 2—13 online

September 9—12 September 16—13 September 23—12

Youth Group Schedule: Wednesdays @ 7 pm!

Hello everyone,

Youth group has been meeting via Zoom. We are

having fun and learning about the Bible and

each other along the way. We have been having

around 12 youth show up, most of them every

week. We have talked about some New

Testament stories and some Old Testament as

well. Sometimes we ask questions, Bible related

and not, and see who has answers to them.

Sometimes they are difficult questions that we

then have to ask Pastor Dayne about, but, hey, I

am glad they are willing to ask questions! We

are still waiting and watching until the time

when we can be together. I am glad I get to be a

part of this awesome

group of youth.

God’s Peace,

Rydel Samuelson

—Continued from pg. 1 Instead of giving in to the division that was all around them, Micah challenged the people to deal

with the justice within their own nation. God reminded the people that their task was to care for one another, not to act with hatred or malice.

One of the ways that our modern divisions are evident is by the yard signs we see springing up every election year at this time. What is maybe the most difficult reality is that you literally have neighbors who make a different political choice than you do. How do we reconcile that difference? How do we cross the divide?

In the last session of our conference, Rev. Adam Hamilton gave us an early look at a possible answer. As his leadership asked questions about the role of the church in the midst of political divisions, they realized that part of our job is to affirm where we are the same. They provided us with a template for a yard sign of a different type, one that I hope the fans of both parties or none will be willing to place in their yards.

Our signs have two sides. One side says “Love is Kind” in bright yellow letters. The other side carries a hashtag: #LoveYourNeighborVC. We have a donor who is willing to pay for the first set of yard signs. You are welcome to come and pick up one or two to place in your yard. We will accept donations toward a second set of signs if the first set is all given away.

We have invited other churches to participate in this campaign, and I hope to see these signs spring up all over Valley City and beyond. My hope is that this simple act can remind us of what we have in common, rather than what separates us from one another. May we love our neighbor and remember that love is kind. In Christ,

Shoebox Christmas Project Shoebox Christmas is a program that provides Christmas gifts to children in need in

the Dakotas and Minnesota. This past Christmas, nearly 6,600 gifts were donated and distributed in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. Specific areas include the Crow Creek

and Pine Ridge Reservations and the Enemy Swim School in South Dakota; the Spirit Lake Nation and Turtle Mountain Reservations and three homeless shelters in North Dakota; and the

Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. Several Churches in all three states also received gifts.

What is in a shoebox? Love! Shoebox Christmas gifts are built from love for children that might not otherwise get a Christmas gift. On the reservation, up to 70 % of the children would not get a Christmas gift if not for the Shoebox Christmas Gift program and your generosity! To start, wrap the bottom and top of the box separately (so we can insert the story of the birth of Jesus). Add gifts (suggestions on info sheet in gathering space), place a rubber band around the box and top, then put the age

group and gender of the child on top of the box. You have just built a box of love. We are looking for the following age groups. Infant, Toddler, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13 and up. Please only add new toys and please don't put any clothing except the hats/gloves or mittens in the boxes. Wrapped boxes are available for your convenience. Please return all shoeboxes by Wed., Nov. 11, 2020.

Confirmation This has been a challenging year for Confirmation. Several times in the fall, our sessions were cancelled by blizzards, and then we were unable to meet during the pandemic. Since the beginning of the school year, we have been meeting in a hybrid in-person and Zoom model, and have had meaningful conversations, laughter, and growth in spirit and understanding. I am glad to announce the confirmation on Sunday, October 11, of our three newest members of Epworth UMC:

Shanara Lint

Alyssa Thomsen

Jada Zahn

6 Epworth Events October 2020 October 2020 Epworth Events 7

Congregational Care

Church Family Supper

I am sorry to say we will not be scheduling a Church Family Supper for October. With the current health and safety concerns caused by our significant COVID-19 numbers, we want to keep our Church Family safe in the

best way possible. Which, unfortunately, means not scheduling some events. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please know that we are missing these times of fellowship and know that you are too! Our goal is to be responsible and to keep our Church Family safe and healthy!

VirLyn Hoff, Congregational Care Coordinator

LET Your Light Shine! Let YOUR Light Shine!

Let Your LIGHT Shine! Let Your Light SHINE!

NO Bazaar for 2020 due to the COVID-19 dangers of large group gatherings. Read the message from Bazaar Chair Mary Lee Nielson.

Please, please consider your usual crafting, baking, serving, and buying for / at our bazaar to become a financial donation for the mission by United Methodist Women for women children and youth. Treasurer Dorothy Schroeder’s address is 625 NE 3rd St, Valley City Also, UMW has a mailbox in the church office workroom. Thank you.

Do you remember that we did not hold a bazaar during the remodel – was that 2010? We have resources to handle our 2020 budget. We will work out what we need to do for the 2021 year. We have been blessed to be a blessing in the past. God will continue in that faithfulness and so will we.

We miss the fellowship of working together – laughter, sharing our lives, the joys and concerns, the special community as sisters of faith. Do pray for one another. Call somebody!

Our two circles did meet in September in the church to space out for distance visiting as safely as we could. It was good to see faces, to study and to pray together.

The Dakotas UMW Annual meeting will not be held in person for 2020. Video presentations are being planned. Voting for the budget and mission team officers will be done by mail.

Good works and love and kindness and mission continue in spite of COVID 19. Let your light shine! Faith – Hope – Love in Action!

“Let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 16)

Let your light shine! Faith – Hope – Love in Action!

—VirLyn Hoff, UMW Unit President

Farmers to Families Produce Distribution—In

partnership with the Great Plains Food Bank, The Farmers to Families Produce Distribution gave out 700 boxes of produce on Sept. 15th! The distribution took place in our Epworth parking lot. Thanks to our Epworth and community volunteers for making this ministry a success! There will be another food distribution for those in need on Tuesday, Oct. 13th from 4 pm –5:30 pm. Meat, dairy, & produce included. Registration will be required.

Open Table Our Open Table Community Meal that is scheduled every last Tuesday is still suspended for October. We will be

looking to our Smart Restart Task Force and our Servant Leadership Team to help us determine the best way to move forward with our Open Table Community Meal. Please know that the safety of our community and church family are our biggest concerns! A responsible response to the COVID-19 Pandemic is our goal. We are looking forward to figuring out this new normal and encourage everyone to practice safe distancing until we meet again! Blessings to you all! —The Open Table Team

Epworth UMW has been recognized as a Three Flame Unit for 2020. This recognition comes from the Northwest District of the Dakotas Conference of United Methodist Women. In spite of the restrictions and cancellations due to COVID 19, our unit has completed a number of mission service items from the Mission Today Report.

A Bizarre Bazaar!— Time to reset! It’s a Bizarre Bazaar! So what else is new in 2020? United Methodist Women work hard to

support local organizations that take care of women and children and send kids to camp. To do this in the upcoming year our Bizarre Bazaar will be a 3 month challenge. Most of you work on projects over months. Set out a Bizarre Bazaar jar where you see it everyday and start counting your blessings! A dollar a day (or more) until Christmas will go a long way to reach our goal of constant support of women and children in need. If you aren’t into daily offerings and want to send one check to UMW for the Bizarre Bazaar you can mail it or drop it off at the church. For those of you who have been buying items for baskets or crafting please keep up the good work! I have seven sets of dish towels and embroidery thread if anyone wants a winter project.

Because of the success of previous bazaars we have enough money to cover our budget and give our yearly donations. If you have questions, you may e-mail me at vcmarylee@gmail.com, call or text at 840-1580. Please pray for God’s guidance and blessing to keep our mission moving forward.

—Mary Lee Nielson, Bazaar Chair

Bizarre Bazaar Blessings

Support UMW Missions through 2020 Bizarre Bazaar Giving!

Randi Watterson, Tami Hanson, Michelle Grebel, & VirLyn Hoff